On September 18th, members of Uhuru Solidarity Movement joined the Black is Back Coalition and the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement for a rally in front of the Oakland City Hall to protest the murder of Alan Blueford, an 18 year old African who was gunned down by Oakland police.

We felt it was important to stand with InPDUM and the Black is Back Coalition at this demonstration because if we want to see an end to police containment of the African community and the murder of one African person every 36 hours in the U.S. then we must stand in solidarity with the African community itself and the leadership represented by the InPDUM and the BIBC which are courageously leading the struggle for African people everywhere to reclaim power over their own communities.

Diop Olugbala, the president of the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement, addressed the mostly white demonstrators and called for them to take a stand of principled solidarity with the black community by joining the campaign for Days in Solidarity with African People.

President Diop then led the procession into City Hall where the family of Alan Blueford demanded answers from the City Council about the murder of their son. It was revealed that the family had still not received a police report on the incident.

Speaking at the podium, President Diop said, “I have no confidence in the city council of Oakland to provide justice for the African community. Somebody asked the question of what went wrong, the process is broken — but the process always seems to be broken. Right now in this country every 36 hours an African man woman or child is killed by the police in this country. This city council is useless, but it’s not about the individuals, it’s an organizational, structural question.”

This analysis was met with roaring applause.

Click image for video of President Diop Olugbala’s speech at Oakland City Hall

“It is the city council and every other agency of this government’s responsibility to make sure that this war against the African community rages on,” said Diop.

“On October 6th, the Uhuru Solidarity Movement will be holding a Day in Solidarity with African People, which is a specific call for the white community, not only here but in this city who can increasingly hear the demands and criticisms being made of this government, to turn your backs in every way possible on this government which has done nothing but wage war against oppressed people not only this country but around the world. It is call for white people to stand in principled unity and solidarity with the movement led by African people ourselves who are victims of this war.”

A city council member attempted to interrupt President Diop by saying “Your time is up.”

“YOUR time is up!” shouted back the crowd at the city council members. One North American man approached the podium with his speaker card to cede his time to President Diop. The voice of the African Revolution was not to be silenced.

After the City council called a recess, Diop and the BIBC led the protestors back out onto the steps of city hall to conduct a summation. Diop, Cephpus Johnson of the BIBC and the uncle of Oscar Grant, and the father of Alan blueford addressed the crowd.

Jesse Nevel of the Uhuru Solidarity Movement made a presentation specifically speaking to other white people in the demonstration on the significance of working under African working class leadership: “I’m a white person who stands in solidarity with the black community’s struggle to resist police containment. We have a responsibility to stand under the leadership of the African working class leading their own struggle, their own movement for justice and peace.”

“On October 6th at the Day in Solidarity with African People, the leadership of the African Revolution will be speaking to you, to us, about what we can do to take a principled stand against this foul, rotten social system,” said Nevel.

The Day in Solidarity with African People event on October 6th is part of an international series of events hosted by the Uhuru Solidarity Movement that will feature as its keynote speakers the Chairman of the African People’s Socialist Party and founder of the Uhuru Movement, Omali Yeshitela, and the Chair of the African People’s Solidarity Committee and author of Overturning the Culture of Violence, Penny Hess.

Black is Back! The lines are drawn. The Uhuru Solidarity Movement is the organization for white people who are ready to take the side of Africans and other oppressed peoples who have been struggling for hundreds to end the relationship of oppressor and oppressed.

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